Persona: Justice For All
by Lucias Falkner
Summary: First there was the Emperor. Then came the Sun. Next was the Moon, fourth was the Universe, and finally came The World. It's time for the Hermit to step forth, but she is too weak to stand alone. With the mysterious Hiraku Ebihara by her side, she and her friends must fight the psyche of humanity itself as every individual starts to fight for its own personal justice.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Dark Premonition**

_When two clashing ideals meet, a conflict is always born. What happens when everyone begins to forcibly act on those ideals? The world would be thrown into chaos. I chose you because you seemed different. I wanted to see if you, who isolated yourself from your fellow man, could stand up with the strength of your friends and challenge that which terrified you. It seems, however, that I was wrong. You were weak-willed to the very end. And now, this world shall see itself in flames._

Rain pattered the shingled roof of the Koizumi household. Thunder boomed in the distance as lightning flashed through the midwinter evening sky.

In a dark room on the far end of the house, young Maki sat in solitude. With next to no lighting, she sat on her bed and stared at a corner. There was a knock at her door as her mother poked her head in.

"Maki?" She spoke softly as she called out to her daughter. "Minami just called to let you know that she can't make it tomorrow." With that, Maki's mother slowly closed the door.

Maki cast her eyes downward. She had been really looking forward to getting out to see Minami. She hasn't seen either of her friends since winter break started. Akio, a childhood friend of Maki's, had gone out of town for the break. Minami remained in town, but she was kept constantly busy by her parents and other friends that tugged at her from every direction. Maki never said anything on the subject. She understood that Minami had other friends. This time, however, the two had been planning to meet since before winter break.

Thinking about it, Maki came to the conclusion that something came up with her parents and left the subject alone, keeping her faith in her friend. With that, she laid down and pulled the covers over her shoulders. With a final good night wish to herself, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

That night, as she slept, Maki found herself dreaming again. Then, dreaming isn't necessarily the right word.

She found herself on burning plain, smoke and embers rising up all around her. A few feet in front of her, a silhouette that was made near invisible by the smoke stood still. Just over the roar of the flames, Maki heard an eerily kind voice speaking to her.

"It's almost time, Maki," the voice said. "Are you ready?"

Maki shook her head. This dream had occurred multiple times over the past two months, ever since she met one person. Every time it occurred, the voice said something different, but always spoke of an event that would happen in the near future. Now, it seemed, that event was close. She opened her mouth to yell back at the voice, fearing that this dream was not just a nightmare that refused to go away, but no sound came. The voice chuckled as the flames that surrounded her inched closer and closer until the tongues started to lick at her. Finally, she screamed and sat up in bed.

It was morning now, and the sun shone weakly through the closed blinds that hid the single window in her room. The soft light that flooded in suggested early morning, but when Maki saw that her clock read 11:07, she felt compelled to check the window.

She quietly pulled the covers from over herself and shuffled over to the window. She spread some of the blinds and peeked through to find that a gentle snow floated to the already blanketed street below.

Maki's eyes sparkled like the small, weightless crystals before her, and she hurried to get ready to go out for the day.

Despite her inward personality, snow always brought out the best in Maki. Even as a child, every time it snowed, she found herself brought out of her thick shell.

As she stared outside, however, a feeling of loneliness washed over her. She would be spending a day as amazing as this one by herself. If anything, she wanted desperately to call up Minami and beg her to come hang out, but Maki didn't want to disturb anything that she might be doing and went to get ready.

Soon enough, that feeling of loneliness faded, and Maki's excitement returned. As she showered, she couldn't help but hum a little tune as she washed.

Once Maki had washed, dressed and eaten, she hurried out the door as her mother smiled into a cup of coffee, happy to see her daughter smiling again, even if for a day.

As Maki emerged onto the white street, she took note of the children and parents playing in the street. She pulled the scarf over her nose to hide her face as much as possible, but she still maintained the small smile.

She shuffled down the street with a hand constantly holding her scarf in place. As she walked, she failed to noticed the man that started following her. It wasn't until she started to round a corner that she finally noticed him.

His presence made her jump, but she quickly calmed, as his was a familiar one. She stopped and let him come to stand beside her. He was a rather handsome fellow, with a tall, semi-muscular build to him, so normally, he would stand out. However, it seemed like no one but Maki could see or hear him. When she talked to him, be it on the phone or in person, people seemed to think that Maki was talking to herself.

The young man laughed and caught up. He stopped next to her and turned to her with a smile. "Sorry to startle you like that."

She shook her head. "It's fine," she quietly assured him. She turned to start walking again, but the young man stopped her and pointed to the other sidewalk.

"Isn't that one of your friends?" He inquired this with a curious tone as a group of high school girls rounded the corner on the other side of the road. Maki looked closely at the group to see her close friend Minami at the front. Minami was easy to pick out with her excessively short stature and black hair that seemed longer than she was short.

Maki's heart sank. She never expected that Minami, one of the kindest people Maki had ever met, would back out on her for her other friends.

Maki cast her eyes downwards. Feelings of panic and betrayal began to take hold, and tears filled her eyes. The man's mouth turned to a skeptical frown. He wondered what had made Maki start crying, though he could guess that it had something to do with the friend.

With a brief glance forward, Minami noticed Maki. She stopped as her own heart sank. She never expected Maki to come out alone, even on a snowy day. She started think about how to explain this to her already incredibly sensitive friend, but she noticed the man standing next to Maki. Minami frowned and looked at the group that had walked quite a bit before noticing her absence. Deciding that Maki was more important, she hurried across the snowy pavement.

Minami ignored the man as she desperately began to attempt to explain her actions to the already teary-eyed Maki.

"Maki, I swear to you that I have a good reason for this," Minami futilely assured her. She looked at her puffy-eyed friend, and her usually cheerful demeanor fell, heartrending guilt taking hold. "My friends had planned this for tomorrow, but one of them couldn't make it then so we had to move to today. I was going to call you when I got home and let you know we were going to hang tomorrow, but..."

Maki wiped her eyes with her sleeve and buried more of her face in her scarf. "... You promise...?"

Minami nodded. "Why would I lie to you? Have I ever done so before?"

Maki looked to the side for a moment before her eyes gave a content sparkle. "... Okay. I trust you."

The man that stood next to Maki cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met, Ms...?" He held out his hand.

Minami turned to him with a reluctant stare. She looked him up and down with a hesitant frown. After a moment of awkward silence that made Maki shrink further into her scarf, she smiled and shook his hand. "Saito. Minami Saito. It's nice to meet you, mister...?"

The man smiled. "Ebihara. Hiraku Ebihara. It's a pleasure to finally meet one of Maki's friends. I was actually just leaving, so if you'll excuse me..." He turned and walked away in the other direction. His eyebrows furrowed as he wondered how she noticed him, but he shrugged it off and continuer walking.

Once he disappeared around a corner, Minami turned to Maki.

"I'm really really sorry Maki," she pleaded. "We'll spend the rest of the day together and do whatever you want."

Maki seemed visibly happier with that offer. "... Are you sure? We can always go tomorrow..."

Minami shook her head. "It might not snow tomorrow. The time is now."

Maki smiled undee her scarf, but it soon faded when she heard fighting.

Out of nowhere, two of Minami's friends started arguing over a topic as simple as what was the better literature genre. It was something so trivial, and yet the girls seemed to be on the verge of violence. Minami rushed across the street to hurry and try to break it up. Maki reluctantly followed, really hoping that this would be over quickly. She stayed back a few feet as Minami squeezed through the gap and forced the two apart despite her hilariously short statue compared to the other two. Immediately, the attention of the fighting girls turned to Minami. They started to reach for her as if to attack her for interrupting, but at that moment, time seemed to freeze for Maki.

The scene before her warped into the fiery plain from her dreams, though she was certain that she was still awake. The silhouette that always accompanied the dream was there yet again.

"The time has come, Maki," the voice rang out. "It's beginning. Don't cower away again."

The flames swept up and engulfed her vision of the plains. She covered her eyes with her arm and closed them.

When she opened her eyes, she was on the sidewalk again, but only the two girls that had been fighting stood there. Not only that, but the world had taken on a grey tone with an eerie glow to it.

The girls stood there silently, staring unblinkingly at Maki. Maki looked back at them uncomfortably, terrified at this sudden change. She was certain that she hadn't passed out, for this felt very real to her. She found herself speechless and started to turn away from the girls to find Minami.

As she turned, however, a goopy sound rang out in the silent world from behind her.

Maki slowly turned around to see that the girls had disappeared, and two black puddles of goo rested where they once stood. She took a step back, tears filling her eyes as she stared at the puddles in terror.

As Maki stared, one of the puddles shifted. It started to rise and take the form of something. As the first did, so did the other. When both stopped moving, they had settled into two human figures with no distinct features, with one being primarily black with white spots where the eyes would be and the other primarily white with black spots where the eyes would be. The silhouettes stared at Maki for a moment, seemingly curious. After a moment of terrifying silence for Maki, the head of the black one shot forward, a "mouth" opening and a distorted scream emitting from it. It charged Maki while screaming.

Maki shrieked and stepped back, but she stumbled and fell to the ground. The silhouette continued its charge, and as it neared Maki, she closed her eyes and hoped it would go away.

There was a bright flash of blue light, and Maki opened her eyes. When she did, she was surprised to see a giant white cobra-like serpent sitting between her and the silhouette creature. The serpent's tail had coiled around the area where Maki sat, and two angelic wings that protruded from its back near the base of its hood. Its tongue flicked out briefly as it hissed.

Maki stared at it in terror at first, but the gentle light that its body gave off made her feel protected, so that terror soon turned to amazement. As she stared, a name suddenly came to mind.

"Persona..." she muttered. Another name soon came to mind as well as a determination to survive.

"Kebechet!" She shouted. The serpent just hissed in response. Maki thought for a moment, not sure what to order it to do. Yet again, the knowledge seemed to flow into her mind.

"Hama!" She ordered. The serpent hissed and flicked its tongue out, a flutter of paper flying off of its tongue. The paper covered the silhouette and flashed.

The silhouette exploded in a burst of black goo that faded. Its white companion screamed now and charged the serpent. Maki stood, unfazed by the charge, and smiled. "Now, Assault Dive!" The serpent's mouth opened as it hissed, and it slammed its head into the silhouette, biting down on its torso. The white silhouette exploded as well, and the serpent faded away in a brief flash of blue light.

Soon after, the world returned to normal, with the girls that had been fighting unconscious. Minami and her group looked at Maki, who was staring off into space. Minami called out to her, but the words sounded muffled to Maki. Minami called out again, and Maki's eyes closed as she fell to the ground unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **_**A World Draped in Grey**_

_There is a truth to the fear you bear. Humanity is judgmental, violent, corrupt. That is why I've done this. That is why I chose you to fight back. I hoped that your fear would be your strength. In the end, my hopes fell flat. I'm sorry, but fate has been decided._

Snow drifted gently down to the already blanketed plain. Covered by some of the blanket, Maki lay alone, sleeping comfortably among the snow. She moaned gently and opened her eyes.

Before her lay an endless landscape of snow. She shook her head and stood, most of the snow that had covered her falling into a pile at her feet. She looked around to find that the snowscape stretched endlessly in every direction.

Panic started to rise in her chest. She looked around desperately, fear starting to overtake her. She opened her mouth and called out Minami's name, then Akio's, then Hiraku's, but no one responded.

Just as tears started to form in her eyes, there was a flash of blue, and the serpent she called "Kebechet" sat a bit away from her. She felt oddly comforted by its presence and slowly calmed down. She pulled the scarf over her nose and looked at it.

The serpent's head leaned down so that the eyes met hers. The serpent's tongue flicked out briefly as Maki stared into its eyes. The eyes reflected an inward kindness from the serpent and made her feel safe.

Suddenly, a gentle female voice spoke with no visible source.

"Thou art I, and I am thou," the voice said as the serpent raised its head. "Fear not, child. I will protect you on this journey, and we will not be alone." With that, the serpent faded. After a moment, Maki closed her eyes and...

She reopened them only to have them flooded by bright light. She heard the familiar, steady beep of a heart monitor. As her eyes adjusted, she wiggled around in the sheets that covered her. She looked around and blinked when she realized that she lay in a hospital bed. She shut her eyes tightly and reopened them, hoping to find herself on that street with Minami and her friends, but she was severely disappointed to find herself still in that bed.

She slowly brought herself to a sitting position as a nurse, who was most likely there to do a regular check up on her, entered the room. The nurse cast a glance at her and stepped back in surprise when she saw that Maki had woken up. Maki shrunk back down into the covers as the nurse hurried out.

Maki looked around awkwardly, having laid back down and pulled the covers up to her eyes.

A man dressed in doctor's garb hurried in and over to her bed. She immediately pulled away to the other side of the bed, keeping the covers over her face. The doctor pulled back and hurried out. After a couple of minutes, she finally calmed down and sat against the back of the bed. Occasionally, she would would see a nurse poke her head in.

After a while, the doctor from before calmly walked in. Maki shrank back again, but he raised his hands in an attempt to reassure her.

"I'm sorry for earlier," he apologized, "but I was not expecting you to wake yet, not after you slept for so long."

Maki looked away uncomfortably. "... So long...?" She inquired quietly.

The doctor cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid you've been unconscious for... For a little over a month."

Maki's eyes widened, and her heart sank. "A... A month...?"

The doctor nodded. "Your family and friends are on their way." He said this in attempt to calm the anxious girl down, though she just nodded her head. Sighing in resignation, he excused himself from the room.

Maki looked around, wondering if her family had left her scarf. Seeing that she hadn't, she shrunk back down into the sheets and closed her eyes, trying to hold back a wave of tears. She was miserable. Interestingly enough, the thing that bugged her most was that she missed her chance to have that day with Minami, though she kept telling herself that that didn't matter right now. She had been in a coma, and she had made her friends and family worry.

As she tried to come to terms with things, Minami arrived first. Maki looked at her, and her eyes widened in relief. Minami ran over and grabbed Maki, pulling her into a bear hug and squeezing as tight as she could. She set Maki back down and smiled.

"You finally woke up!" Minami happily stated as tears formed in your eyes. "We were all worried sick!" She wiped an eye. "Akio is on his way. That Hiraku guy has been here almost every day. He's pretty cool, especially since he's so worried about you. I'm actually surprised that he isnt-"

"Here right now?" Hiraku finished the sentence, having appeared in the doorway. He approached her bed with a smile. "Your friends are very interesting people. Especially that Akio. Very idealistic."

Maki nodded. She thought about the dream she had, and then her mind wandered to what happened before she passed out the first time. Those creatures... That serpent... She realized that when she defeated the creatures, the girls had passed out. She started wondering what exactly had been going on, but a boy stepped into her room and approached her bed, bringing her back to reality.

He was rather tall with a charismatic air to him. He was quite handsome with well-groomed hair that fell in front of one eye. He always wore a button-up shirt with jeans and sneakers, giving him the appearance of a well-mannered young man. Of course...

"Oh man, Maki, we were fuckin' worried." He said, approaching the bed with a smile.

You can never judge a book by its cover.

She looked away with a blush. Minami looked at him. "Way to be late again, Akio."

Akio waved her off. "You know I wouldn't miss this for anything. Especially since its Maki."

Maki covered her face entirely in response to this in an attempt to hide the obvious blush on her face. Akio looked to her with a mischievous smile, but decided that this wasn't the time to mess with her. Instead, he sat down in the chair next to the bed with a groan. He sat for a moment while Hiraku and Minami stared at him before finally saying something. "... It really is a relief to see you awake, Maki. I couldn't believe it when I heard that you were in the hospital. But..."

Maki looked at him, pulling the covers from her face, though only slightly. "... I'm sorry I worried you so much..."

Akio shook his head. "It isn't your fault. There was just no clear cause of-" He was cut off when a doctor and his nurse started arguing with each other. Maki blinked. It was just like that day, but she was sure that arguments between doctors and nurses were common.

Just as she assured herself of this, the argument started to escalate. Both Akio and Minami looked oddly alert. Hiraku's eyes narrowed, and he exited the room, presumably to see what was happening. After a few moments, more voices joined the argument, and things seemed to just keep escalating. Maki closed her eyes, hoping that it would go away.

And it did.

She opened her eyes when things fell silent. As soon as the first bit of light hit her eyes, a feeling of dread overwhelmed her.

Not only had Minami, Akio and Hiraku disappeared, but the world had taken on that grey tone yet again. She wanted desperately to just lay down and wait for it to go away, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

_Do not worry, child._

That voice from the snow dream sounded in her head. It somehow soothed her worries, though not quite enough to instill confidence.

_You are not alone in this battle. Step out, and you shall see._

Maki shook her head. Somehow, she managed to convince herself to move by telling herself that she could only return to the normal world by dealing with any creatures that might be nearby.

She started to throw the covers off of herself, but something stopped her. It was a light. A blue light. At first, she couldn't figure out where it came from. When she looked at the raised hand that held the sheets, she finally saw it. Seemingly burned into her hand was a glowing, blue 'IX'.

She started to panic, but yet again, the voice assured her that it was nothing to worry about. Slowly accepting it, she started to pull the covers the rest of the way. As she did, she heard shouting from down the hallway. Slowly, she pulled herself from the bed. She initially fell to knee, as her legs were weak from lack of use, but as they recovered, she stood and moved to the door. She peeked into the hallway and saw flashing lights at the intersection. The lights flashed at random intervals, piquing her interest.

She inched along the wall towards the lights, wondering where Kebechet was. She finally came to the corner and peered around, utterly shocked at what she saw.

Minami stood in the middle of the hallway with a shining figure before her. At a closer look, the figure was humanoid with silver greaves and gauntlets, and a silver breastplate with complementing skirt. It was clearly feminine, but something was off. In its hand was a flaming sword, and wings of fire protruded from the back.

It looked back at Maki briefly, allowing her to see what was so off. It had the head of a lioness.

It nodded its head in the opposite direction as if to tell her where to go before returning its gaze to something that was in front of it that Maki couldn't quite see.

Maki started in the direction that it had indicated. She looked at the 'IX' on her hand again, wondering what it meant. Distracted, she hardly even noticed when Akio rounded a corner straight into her. His head whacked hers, and the both stepped back from each other, running where their heads collided.

"Fucking..." Akio grumbled. He opened his eyes to see what he had run into, only to fInd a wide-eyed Maki standing before him. She was not only surprised by the appearance of Akio, but also by the glowing 'VII' on his hand.

Akio shook his head, hoping that Maki was only a hallucination. When she was proven to be real, he bit his lip. "Maki...? The hell are you doing here?"

She bit her own lip. "I was wondering the same..."

Akio looked at her hand and noticed the glow. He yanked up her arm, much to a now terrified Maki's chagrin, and saw the glowing 'IX'. He saw her expression and gently set her hand at her side. "Sorry, Maki. But... You... You have a Persona?"

Maki glanced back at him, still shaken up. "I... Got mine right before I fell into my coma. You guys weren't affected...?"

He shook his head. "This means that you're the only one."

Maki's eyes turned down at this.

He looked around awkwardly. "Uh... Okay. Minami has one, and interestingly enough, so does that Hiraku guy. He went down that way..." He pointed towards where he'd come from. "... after one of the creatures. I tried to follow, but I lost him. I came back to look for another. You should go find him. And... I know Minami is fighting one, so that leaves two that are still running around. These are pretty strong, so if you feel that you need help, just run. You're bound to find one of us."

Maki looked at a door further down the hallway that led into a staircase. "... Is it possible that they went to another floor?"

Akio shook his head. "I tried that, but I ended up back on this same floor. Now, we should get moving." He looked at Maki's worried face and sighed. "Do you want to come with me? I don't want you to get hurt."

Maki shook her head. "... I can do this..."

Akio sighed. "If you're sure. Just... Scream if you need me."

As if right on cue, a scream cut through the air.

Akio whirled towards the direction of the scream, a worried expression crossing his face. "Shit! That was Minami!" He ran off towards where Minami had been battling her opponent. Maki followed, passing Akio with ease despite her bare feet.

She rounded the corner where Minami had been to find her friend backing away from a giant blob that shifted incessantly. It refused to settle into a definite shape, and despite its best efforts, Minami's Persona couldn't seem to damage it.

Hiraku rounded the opposite ccorner, a panicked look on his own face. Maki looked at his hand, and she could just barely make out a glowing, blue '0' on it.

Finally, a spike shot out from the blob and pierced Minami's Persona. She let out a cry of pain as the Persona faded. The blob's form finally settled into another overall undetailed form, but the shape resembled a Cerberus, though it had four heads. It roared, and fear shot through the hearts of the group as they realized that this was likely to be their toughest fight yet.


	3. Update and Information

Hey, guys! I just wanted to make a quick little info piece before I start working on chapter 3.

First off, thank you so much for reading Justice For All! This is my first legit legit fanfic, and with it being a standalone story with such a different kind of Protag, I'm incredibly nervous. Maki was inspired by my friend, who suffered from social anxiety, and it was around the time that we started telling each other our stories that I started writing this, and I wanted to do a lot different with this story. Thus, I wanted to break away from the (semi)strong archetype of protagonists for Persona.

The other thing that made coming up with this story somewhat difficult, was how can I keep to the psychological aspect that makes Persona what it is while staying original? And then, I asked myself, "What if I took something unoriginal and made it original?"

Most stories focus on the conflict wrought from differing ideals, but what if the story instead made that literally its center? It's hard to explain, but... Eh I'll leave it there. All I can say is, pay attention to the intro quotes.

Secondly, I NEED critiques on this story. I NEED them! This story is my baby, my creation, and I want it to be as good as possible. So PLEASE, LEAVE a review!

Lastly...

You guys will pick the love interest, or rrather, influence my decision on who she ends up with. So please, when writing reviews, tell me who you want her to end up with.

And lastly lastly, I will update at rrandom intervals, though you can expect multiple times a week. I'll post an update like this if something changes.

Thank you so much for reading!

-Lucias


	4. Chapter 3: Selfless

**Chapter 3: **_**Selfless**_

_Weak-willed as you are, your actions until now have been selfless. You and your friends have acted not only out of concern for the world, but for each other as well. Despite everything you four have been through, you never once turned your backs on one another. I wish I'd learned a thing or two, but yet again, my hopes fell flat. Do not ruin my hopes that you won't change, even in the very end._

Nothing could have prepared the group for what that creature had in store.

With four heads, it kept a constant eye on each of the Persona-users. Any attempt to attack it all at once failed, and any kind of sneak attack was foiled before it began.

The heads of the creature looked to the ceiling and howled. Each of the users had been brought to their knees, very little fight left in them.

The beast ultimately decided that enough was enough and turned to Maki. It slowly stalked towards her, a low, guttural growl that came out distorted, each little vibration cutting off at random intervals. As it approached, each of the black maws it had for mouths opened.

In the first mouth, fire began to ignite. From the second, a gust of wind could be felt. From the third, snow crystals pulled into it, and from the fourth, lightning sparked incessantly. Each of the elements started growing in strength as it neared her, the growls growing in volume and lowering to a demonic rumble.

Akio struggled as he forced himself to his feet. "Maki...!" He called out weakly. He pushed the hand with the 'VII' brand forward in an attempt to summon forth his Persona. "Come...! Apedema- argh!"

He was interrupted as the beast's tail swept back and slammed him against a wall. He tried to bring himself up once more, but the tail threatened to come down again, making him stay down.

Maki backed up, trying to delay the inevitable, but the beast backed her into a wall. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands as tears filled her eyes.

_It can't end like this..._

The beast reached her and reared its heads back.

_If nothing happens, Minami and Akio and Hiraku will...!_

It charged the attack further, each element flooding out of its respective mouth.

_Something...! Anything...! Please...! Kebechet, where are you...? I need you!_

The beasts heads flew forward just as the attack started to release. Maki braced herself, but the sound of an explosion stopped her. There was a loud, distorted cry of pain from the beast as it fell to its side. She slowly pulled her hands from her face as the attack unleashed into an empty hallway and punctured an outward wall. She looked in the direction opposite that the beast had fallen to see a young man that she had never seen before.

He had foreign facial features with short blonde hair that spiked at the bangs. His light blue eyes pierced the grey world as a sort of beacon of hope. Around his neck was a solid black scarf that hung over a charcoal peacoat. On the hand that hung to his side was a very obvious blue glow. She looked closer to see 'XIII' branded onto the hand.

The young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With a fierce glare, he thrust the hand with the brand out and it glowed fiercely.

"Anubis!" His voice was powerful and commanding, though there was another emotion that seemed to be tucked away. "Tip the scales!"

A man with the black jackal head of Anubis appeared. It was dressed in a black robe, and in one hand it held the scales of justice, while the other held a sword that gave off a holy glow.

_"As you wish, I shall judge," _it said. It raised the scales. The once balanced scale tilted to one side. The side that raised had multiple little figures on it. While the side that fell had a black wolf figure.

A light enveloped each of the Persona users. One by one, they felt their stamina return with a reinvigorating burst of energy.

Akio turned to hurry over to help Maki, but Hiraku placed a hand on his shoulder. He motioned to the beast, and Akio nodded. As Akio threw out his hand with a shout of "Apedemak!", Hiraku hurried over to Maki.

He pulled her off the wall as she sobbed and did his best to reassure her. She eventually calmed down as Akio and Minami helped the newcomer keep the beast at bay. She wiped her eyes and stood with Hiraku. Hiraku was first, a glare crossing his eyes as he thrust out his hand.

"Ra!" He exclaimed. "Make them burn!" The '0' on his hand glowed brightly as a man with the head of a golden hawk appeared. It was clad in shining armor and held a great lance that was adorned with what seemed like royal jewelry. It raised its spear and aimed it at the beast, a quick burst of fire blasting it in the sighed. It howled in pain as the attack from Hiraku and others impacted.

Akio's Apedemak, a lion-headed soldier that bored a sword and shield, brought its blade up and dashed swiftly under the beast, its sword swung as it emerged. Multiple slashes cut through the beast as Minami stood ready.

She thrust her hand out and shouted, "Sekhmet!"

The 'XIX' brand on her hand glowed, and the lion warrior from before appeared. With a swing of its flaming sword, Sekhmet brought the beast to its knees with another blast of fire.

The beast struggled to stand, making a futile attempt to unleash another powerful attack. It groaned pitifully as Hiraku turned to Maki with a smile.

"Would you do the honors?" he asked, trying to encourage her.

She nodded meekly and put out her own hand. The 'IX' glowed and Kebechet made her own appearance. With a furious hiss, Kebechet uncoiled and charged the beast. She clamped her fangs down where all four heads connected, making the beast let loose another howl of pain before exploding into the ephemeral, black goo that soon faded entirely.

All five Persona-users watched as this happened, their heart skipping multiple beats before all of it had faded. When it did, they all heaved a sigh of relief. Maki, who was utterly exhausted, having fought for her life after waking from a coma, started to collapse, but Hiraku caught her just before she hit the ground. She groaned, her long black bangs falling over her eyes. She peered through them to see Hiraku smiling down at her.

As a blush crossed her face, color returned to the world, and the nurses and doctors that had been arguing lay on the ground where the beast had once been. A few nurses that had been watching the argument just stared at the high schoolers that had suddenly appeared in the hallway for a few moments before returning to their business.

Hiraku watched them go before he smiled at Maki. "Are you alright?"

She looked at him and nodded lightly to reassure him. Akio and Minami both hurried over and started asking Maki question after question to reassure themselves that she was okay. Once everyone's fears had been settled, Akio helped Maki up.

With a brief moment of silence, he looked at the other three and sighed. "Time to address the elephant in the room." He turned to the man that had been branded 'XIII' and approached him.

"Who are you?' Akio demanded.

The young man looked at him. "What, no thanks?" Though his Japanese was excellent, he spoke with an obvious accent that proved that he hadn't been born in Japan.

"Well..." Akio stuttered, embarrassed that it didn't occur to him to thank the man. "Yeah. We rreally appreciate it. None of us would be alive if it hadn't been for you."

The man grimaced. "... It's no problem. I just know what it's like to lose someone close to you. And those _things _can't be allowed to rampage. It's our duty as Persona Users to destroy them. Oh. And my name is Edward. Edward Hirsch. I'm an exchange student from America. Decided to go to college here."

Akio thought for a moment about what to ask next. "... I'm Akio Shimamura. I'll introduce you to everyone in a sec, but... How did you get a Persona?"

Edward shrugged. "How did any of us get Personas? What matters is that we have them, and now we have a duty to use them."

Akio nodded his agreement. "Well... As you saw, we could use another in our group, so if you would come introduce yourself..." He started to walk back to the others, but Edward grabbed his shoulder.

"Sorry, Akio, but I don't like to get attached. I like being a lone wolf." With that, Edward left despite Akio's protests. Akio started to go after him, but with an exasperated sigh, he let him go.

Akio returned to the group, with Maki leaning on Hiraku(as Minami was too short). Hiraku looked at him. "What was all that?"

Akio shrugged. "He's a lone wolf. He'll help from time to time, though it doesn't seem like he'd admit it."

Hiraku laughed. "Well. But, we should get you all home. You have school tomorrow."

With that statement, Maki's eyes widened and all the color drained from her face.

School was back in, and she had to attend.


	5. Chapter 4: Together

**Chapter 4: **_**Together**_

_... You surprised me. Despite your weak mentality, you created inseparable bonds that never severed, even when faced with betrayal. It makes me sorry that it has to end this way. Life was fun when we were all together._

Soon after Edward left, Maki's mother arrived to check on her. After a thorough smothering of love, the doctor informed her and the others that she would be required to stay overnight. With a final goodbye, they left Maki to herself.

Maki sat in her bed, watching a few game shows while the nurses ran their routine check ups. Once the nurses had finished, Maki laid down in the bed, forgetting to turn the TV off.

She lay there for a few minutes, silently replaying all that had happened after she woke up in her mind. The thing that terrified her most was that they had almost died. They had truly faced death, and it was likely to happen again as long as they had Personas.

Maki's lower lip quivered as she finally let that fact sink in. She had personally looked Death in the face, and it could happen again really soon. As much as she feared sleep, exhaustion swept over her, and her eyes closed for the night.

Light burned through Maki's closed eyelids, making her wince and bring her arm to her face. As she tried to let her eyes adjust, she heard a muffled voice. At first, she couldn't make out what it said. But as her eyes adjusted, the voice started clearing up.

"-ak-!" she heard.

"Wha-...? Who's there...?" she groaned.

"-aki!" the voice said again.

She started to open her eyes.

"MAKI!"

Her eyes shot open to a clear, blue sky. The sun hung high in the sky, nearly blinding her. As her eyes adjusted, she came to realize that she was laying on a grassy hill, surrounded by flowers. Minami hovered over her with a worried expression.

Maki sat up, and Minami pulled back and settled on her knees. Maki looked around to see that Akio sat on her other side. He smiled at her, but she closed her eyes tight, trying to dispel any illusions that might be present. It was futile, however, as she opened them again to find that she was still sitting on the hill.

She looked at Minami, who smiled back at her.

"Hey," Minami greeted her. "'Bout time you woke up."

Akio nodded as Maki turned to him. "I can't believe you fell asleep on a day like this."

Maki shook her head, confused. Where was she? Wasn't she just in the...?

She blinked. That wasn't right. She had come here with Minami, Akio and...

Where was Hiraku?

She looked around to see him sitting alone in the shade of a single tree. He looked somewhat lonely as he watched the three of them.

Maki stood and went over to him, stopping at the edge of the shade.

"What are you doing over here?" she asked, concern in her voice.

He looked up and stood, moving over to her. "I don't know," he said simply. "I don't feel as though I belong. Every time I start to step into the sun, something... Stops me."

Maki held out a hand. "Come on," she invited. "There's no reason to be alone. We should all be together."

Hiraku looked at her hand, a gust of wind blowing through and sweeping his silver bangs away from his unnaturally light blue eyes. He stared into Maki's own brown eyes for a moment before taking the hand.

She pulled him into the sun, and though he winced at first, Hiraku looked at her hand with amazement. The sun felt warm and welcoming, completely unlike the shade of the tree. His bangs fell back over his right eye, and he smiled with a glance at Minami and Akio.

Minami and Akio stood and joined them, all four friends smiling. The group sat down in the largest patch of flowers and started talking, laughing and enjoying each others company.

Maki closed her eyes with a content sigh and...

She opened her eyes to find herself back in the hospital bed. Soft light flowed into the room through the window on the far side of the room. The clock next to her bed read 8:26, telling her that it was still fairly early morning.

She sat up with her back against the headboard, casting her eyes downward. She thought about the dream she'd just woken up from, and sorrow began to take over. That dream had fulfilled a wish that she'd had for years, taking her out of her shell and letting her enjoy herself.

However, the one thing she never would have aaccounted for was Hiraku. She remembered that she had been confused when he wasn't there, but this only made her wonder more.

Hiraku wasn't someone that Maki had previously thought herself to be close to, and yet he was there. Yet again, she found herself pondering the little details, like why was claiming to be unable to step into the sun?

As she thought over the dream, a nurse walked in, most likely to make sure that nothing had changed overnight. The nurse did a quick once-over before leaving Maki to herself once again.

Maki reached over to the bedside table and lifted the remote from it, turning the TV back on. It remained on the game show channel, so she sat there and watched, occasionally giggling at the wacky MC and contestants.

After a couple of hours of non-stop game shows, a nurse came in to retrieve Maki, her mother having arrived to check her out.

Maki felt some relief at the fact that it was too late for her to go to school that day, but she also felt a bit lonely as she wouldn't be able to see her friends for a while.

The entire ride home was quiet as always, and once home, Maki headed straight for her room once more.

Once in the room, she started to change into pajamas, but she remembered that her friends would likely be by later. That or...

She stopped right outside her closet. Her thoughts suddenly drifted back to Hiraku, who was very likely to drop by well before school let out. That dream crept back into her mind, though she quickly pushed it back out and decided to change into her pajamas anyway. As much as she couldn't wait to see them, she also wanted to enjoy the silent, peaceful quiet of being alone that her room granted her. Climbing into bed, she closed her eyes for a brief nap to pass the time until school let out.

Her eyes popped open to a knock on her door. She had a dreamless sleep this time, though somewhat to her disappointment.

Her mother opened the door, and Minami jumped in.

"Hey hey!" Minami greeted with a wave.

Maki smiled at first, but she realized that she was still in her pajamas. She quietly begged Minami to step out for a moment, to which the small girl complied.

As Minami shut the door, Maki stood and dressed in a white turtleneck and jeans, wrapping her usual light blue scarf around her neck. She moved over to the window and saw that it had started snowing. With that, she put on some winter gloves and joined Minami in the hallway.

Minami lightly grabbed her wrist and pulled in towards the front door. "Come on! Akio is waiting! We're gonna go to a café."

Maki's heart sank. "Like... With... A lot of people...?"

Minami stopped just before the door. "... Oh yeah. Well, we can get a hot chocolate really quick and walk around." She grinned at Maki. "You know you cant resist the snow."

Maki smiled sheepishly. "... Of course not..."

"Then let's go!" She threw open the door and dragged Maki outside while shouting, "I'll have her back by 8, Ms. Koizumi!"

She turned and shut the door before dragging a resistant Maki onto the sidewalk. Akio waited at the gate for the two girls, chuckling when he saw Minami dragging Maki.

"Minami...!" Maki pleaded. "Stop dragging me along!"

Minami let go of her wrist with a pout. "Oh fine..."

Akio laughed. "Come on. Hiraku found me and insisted that he join us. He went on ahead and will be waiting for a while if we don't hurry."

Minami took the lead and engaged in a heated debate with Akio about the most recent episode of a TV drama they both watched religiously. As they neared the café, Maki saw the waiting Hiraku. For a brief moment, the two made eye contact before he turned to Akio and Minami, greeting Minami with a smile. In the moment that they made eye contact, Maki could have sworn that she saw a new kind of twinkle in Hiraku's eyes, a happier twinkle.

With the hellos out of the way, the four of them went inside, the distressed Maki trying desperately to resist the insistent Minami's grip. Hot chocolate in tow, the group wandered the streets and talked with each other as they spent the day...

Together.


	6. Chapter 4-5: Alone

**Chapter 4.5:**_** Alone**_

_Where am I?_

Hiraku opened his eyes to find himself sitting against a lone tree in the middle of a field of flowers on a grassy hill. A gust of wind blew the silver hair out of his eyes for a brief second before everything settled once more.

_Am I alone?_

He stood and looked around to see if there were any others. A little bit away, he could see a sleeping Maki. Her long black hair had fallen all among the flowers, though she slept with a happy smile on her face.

_Is this her dream? Why am I here?_

He started to move out of the shade of the tree, but as he neared the edge, he suddenly felt like leaving the shade was a bad idea. He tried to push forward, but something in the back of his mind stopped him.

_No... No, I shouldn't be here. I don't belong in a place like this._

With that thought, he moved back to the tree and sat against it once more. After a few moments, he saw Minami and Akio come running over the side of the hill. He tried to call out to them, but they seemed to ignore him and crouched over the sleeping Maki.

_Why does it hurt to have them ignore me? This isn't like me... But then... Why am I in a place like this?_

He watched as they _called_ to the sleeping Maki in an attempt to wake her. Eventually, she finally sat up. She seemed to take in her surroundings and exchange a few words with her friends.

_Why do I feel so lonely while watching this?_

Maki then looked straight at him. After a moment, she stood and walked towards him. He watched as she came to a halt just at the edge of the shade, much to his confusion.

_Why doesn't she come here?_

"What are you doing over here?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Hiraku blinked. He couldn't believe that she had come over here to check on him when Minami and Akio wouldn't.

He stood and went over to her, stopping just at the edge of the shade.

"I can't leave the shade. Something is... Stopping me from leaving."

He blinked and stared in shock as she extended her hand over the edge of the shade and smiled.

"Come on," she invited. "You shouldn't be alone. We should all be together."

_How...? No, why? Why is she doing this?_

After a moment of confused pondering, Hiraku hesitantly took the hand and followed her into the sun. As the sun started to wash over him, a feeling of warmth and belonging washed over him. He was overwhelmed by these feelings and a smile escaped him as wind blew the bangs out from over his eye again.

_What is this feeling?_

He glanced over at Akio and Minami with a stupid grin that the two of them returned.

_They're not ignoring me anymore..._

Maki led him over to the others, and they sat down in a circle. For what felt like eternity, the group talked and laughed with each other.

_... This feeling... It's so much better than being alone._


End file.
